I thought you would like to receive our new monthly publication. The idea is to provide practical lessons from major accidents and events that have occurred around the world. Although some topics will be old, we think they are interesting and provide timeless lessons and valuable ideas.

The lack of experience transfer was found to be a recurring underlying cause of accidents on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. "The decline in knowledge about the big tragedies is a grave concern," said Director General Magne Ognedal at a press conference. The Petroleum Safety Authority believes that if Norway's oil and gas industry had learned from their own and others’ mistakes, a number of accidents could have been avoided.

This bulletin covers a 1984 BLEVE explosion in Mexico City that destroyed an entire LPG terminal and killed hundreds of people.

The next bulletin will be about the adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914-17 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Reportedly his advertisement read:

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.

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Construction of the terminal originated in the early 1960s, reportedly to API standards with much of the manufacturing completed in the USA. Within the ensuing 20 years, houses and distribution depots of other companies had been built to within 130 meters from the terminal.

In the predawn hours of 19 November 1984, events that preceded the initial explosion included:

• The terminal was being filled from a refinery 400 kilometers away
• The LPG inventory on site was about 11 000 cubic meters
• The control room and a pipeline pumping station registered a fall in pressure

A pipeline that connected a storage sphere to a series of cylinders had burst and within 10 minutes the gas cloud reached the ground flare and ignited. It was too late for emergency shutdown procedures to be effective. Five minutes later the first boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) occurred followed by some 15 explosions over the next 90 minutes.

The diameter of one fireball was a reported 300 meters (1000 feet). LPG rained from the sky and was ignited by fireballs generated by explosions. Bursting vessels became missiles that weighed up to 20 tonnes and flew more than 100 meters (330 feet)—one traveled more than 1200 meters (4000 feet).

Primary accounts of the event reported mainly about rescue and firefighting; little was reported about on-site management. About 4000 people participated in rescue and medical activities. Fires were fought until about 11 p.m. that evening—some 17 hours after the initial ignition.

The terminal was destroyed. Fatality estimates ranged from 500 to more than 600; injury estimates ranged from 5000 to 7000.

One result of such accidents is the American Petroleum Institute (API) Guidelines for Facility Siting and Layout (API RP 752 and 753). Many forward-thinking companies have focused on appropriate siting issues and standards including siting evaluation studies and hazards management.